Lina Will Live
by monday's dusk girl
Summary: This is a story of a selfish girl and boy who was made cold and distant by Overlords cruelty, escape toughter and try to survive the city. Plz R&R! And I hope you don't mind Lina's spelling. It's messed up on purpose.
1. Night

Chapter 1.  
  
Night  
  
"..will turn 14 in two days....Overlord will come...why is this one looking at me?.....scared.....should focus on her studies......bad...."  
  
No, this was a very boring Drone. Lina turned her head away from it's nose less face , and closed her Third Ear, as she called it. She flinched as the machine gave her a small shock, because she didn't pay any attention to her studies. Then she tried to spend some time studying, but she could only look at her PC. It was soooo boring! Who cared about math these days anyway? But Overlords liked smart brains to be used for their creatures, so every kid had to study. Lina mentally laughed, as she thought about all those Drones she saw in a last couple of days.(the PC shocked her again as she typed in some numbers, thinking if she would put in something the machine would leave her alone for a while. Fat chance.) Those kids defiantly didn't study. Or their brain was damaged that much, after whatever They did to them in the Meat Factory. The girl shivered, thinking about the Meat Factory. ("Ow!", as the machine shocked lazy Lina again) For weeks now, she was trying to find out what happens to kids there, but none of the Drones thought about that. Lina knew, that probably no Drone will even know, and that she needed a Myrmidon, but she was too scared of them to come near.   
  
Lina gave up trying to focus on the quadratic formula, and looked around. ("Ow! Stop it, you shit he.....chip!", Lina whispered) The boring Drone, was the only one in sight, so there was on one else to listen to. She had tried listening to humans, but their mind was too complex, with both words and images flashing very fast. Last time she tried, she was listening to the mind of a boy, who was sitting next to her. But he was thinking about either DNA he was studying, or his girlfriend. And his thoughts were so confusing, Lina didn't even understand who was his girlfriend.   
  
The girl suddenly felt very tired. ("Ow!!! I don't CARE about the quadratic formula!". The girl tried to keep her voice quiet, so only the computer can hear her, if it had ears, of course.) She new it was a side effect from listening to much through the Third Ear. Third Ear was a name that Lina had given to her Change ability. It allowed her to hear and sometimes see thoughts of both people and creatures, and like most Change abilities was supernatural. She didn't know much about them, but she knew that most kids had some weird ability, and that no kids in times before the Change did. However Lina didn't know a lot about other Change abilities out there, since the only time kids talked about them was when there was no creatures around, and in Lina's Dormitory there were Drones and Myrmidons everywhere. ("OW!!!!! Stop it, Wire-Brain!") About half a year ago, a ten year old named Ella had escaped. She found a razor somewhere and had cut her tracer out, leaving lots of blood and legends behind her. Some girls said that Ella used some weird ability none of them had, other said she just was Irish, witch meant she was really luck and found a razor on the floor. Lina knew Ella wasn't Irish, she didn't question the lucky part. It was rare that someone escaped. Their were in Overlord's Emerald Crown's dorms, and there wasn't a lot of them, only a couple hundred kids. That meant they were heavily guarded. And since Ella escaped, there was twice the number of creatures everywhere. ("ow....")  
  
The reason nobody wanted creatures to hear about the abilities, was that Overlords didn't know about it. Lina wondered, how that could have slipped from view of Overlords, when suddenly a new Drone entered in the room. He was followed by a boy, about Lina's age- twelve or thirteen. He had pale skin, dark eyes and even darker hair. He was also wearing black robes, unlike everyone else in her dorm. They all had to wear emerald, witch symbolized their belonging to Emerald Crown. Black rode was probably marked the boy as property of the Overlord Black Banner, whom Lina sometimes saw, attending Sad Birthdays. What was the boy doing in here? ("ow......forget you....")  
  
The rest of the class was staring at the boy too, but he didn't look uncomfortable. He seemed to hardly care at all. His stare was rather blank, as if he was thinking about something.   
  
Lina resisted the temptation to listen to his mind , because she was very tired. Instead she watched the Drones, as they spoke quietly to each other, and them the New Drone pointed at the bay, and the Boring Drone pointed at the computer next to Lina. The girl looked with amazement as the boy proceeded to his seat, and turned the computer on. Lina looked at him and noticed that his hair seemed to be shining blue in the light. She realized he was probably affected by Change physically, not only given the ability like most. ("Now, this is getting on my nerves......")  
  
Then she looked at his arms, and she saw that he was wearing something that looked like fingerless, metal gloves. The girl never seen anything like that before. She looked at the boy and whispered:  
  
-What's your name?- He looked at her and answered:  
  
-Night.   
  
She thought for a second, then opened her Third Ear, and started listening to the mind of the Boring Drone.   
  
  
  
***  
  
Finally, lunch hour came. Kids hurried into the huge Feeding room like a flood of emerald, happy to be out of those boring classes. Lunch time was the always fun, even thought the food was tasteless and looked disgusting. Lina joined a group of girls she knew, as the Myrmidons tried to line the kids up for the meal-giving stands. Myrmidons will give a kid who was out of line what was by their measures a slight push. However, the pushed kid usually ended up flying through the air, and getting lots of bruses and sometimes broken bones when they landed. Finny thing was, that the Myrmydons had a very accurate aim, and the kid always landed where he or she were suppose to be.  
  
Lina's friends, Kitty, Pat, Carrie, Katie and Liza started talking about their classes and crushes, from time to time asking Lina questions, to which she answered without thinking, because she was more interested in the information she found out about Night. From Boring's thoughts she now knew that the gloves where placed on boy's arms in order to block something the Drone called "sharp knifes". Those gloves where also his tracers, so he didn't have his tracer inside his wrist like everyone else did.   
  
"Sharp knifes" was the one thing Lina was confused about. What did the stupid Drone mean? Suddenly she remembered a page of a book wind once brought in to the Dorm's yard. The page was illustrated with a weird-looking man, who had very sharp nails, that looked like they where made of metal. That was probably what the Drone meant by "sharp knifes", and that was Night's Change ability for sure.   
  
Katie brought Lina back to reality by pushing her.  
  
-Lin, did you hear me? Do you know who that boy in the black rose is?  
  
She was pointing at Night who was seated at a far away table by a Drone. The boy didn't seem aware that the whole Dorm was staring at him, and continued eating his tasteless goo.   
  
-His name is Night, and he is sitting by me in Math class,-answered Lina.  
  
-He is kinda cute, isn't he?- said Pat.  
  
-But why is he wearing that black robe?- asked Kitty.   
  
Liza was about to say something, when a Myrmidon walked past them. All the girls where scared of Myrmidons, those huge creatures with an emerald emblems on them. 


	2. The Idea of escape

Chapter two.   
  
The Idea of Escape.   
  
That night Lina lay in her bed, but she couldn't sleep. She turned thirteen two months ago. Only ten moths to go. Only ten months to live. Only ten months left. She didn't want to die. She wanted to live, to grow up, like the kids before the Change did. She had to escape. There was something out there, something that would save her if she could just get out of the Dorms. Ella was never brought back. And Lina didn't think Overlords will take a ten-year-old girl into the Meat Factory. She didn't even take her Creature Test yet! You take it when you turn twelve, so Overlords can find out what can your brains, muscles and organs can be used for. Lina knew most of her will be used to make a Drone, which was some small comfort. Drones looked human at least. She knew that athletic Pat will be turned into a Ferret- and that was horrible.   
  
Lina looked at her left wrist, trying to imagine what did the tracer look like. Probably a tiny chip, located between her bone and muscle. She knew she needed something sharp to cut the tracer out. But what? She knew she wouldn't find any razors on the floor, and Drones worked hard to take any other sharp object out of kid's reach. That's why probably Night's nails where covered by those gloves, just so he didn't have anything sharp. But since the gloves where his tracer, he didn't need anything sharp. Stupid Overlords.....  
  
Lina sat up in a flash. An idea struck her. Night had sharp nails. To escape, she needed something sharp. For Night to escape, he needed to know how do disactivate his tracer. That was it!!!! Lina quietly stoop up, and go out a piece of paper and a pen, and started to write.   
  
  
  
***  
  
Lina took a deep breath. She reached into the pocked of her robe, and took out the note, making sure Boring wasn't looking her way. Then she looked at Night, who seemed to be absorbed in his equations. He was till wearing his black robe. Lina looked at the clock. There was a couple seconds left in the math class. The girl took the note, and quickly stuffed it under Night's keyboard. Then she looked at her PC, trying to look like she found the equations very interesting.   
  
Night looked at her, and then took out the note. He unfolded it and read.   
  
"Night,  
  
my name z Lina. i m 13, and so r u (at least i think u r).  
  
i know about ur nails. not a lot , but i know they r lcked by those metal things. they r ur tracers. i know cause of my _b____t_.  
  
meet mi in this room , at midnight. _s__pe  
  
Lina.  
  
P.S.- don't let ppl see this note. 2 dangerous.   
  
P.S.2- if u r in slp rm 5, uz the gym 2 get here. if u r in slp rm 8, uz the yard. If u r in any other, go through the feeding rm. plz come.   
  
see ya there.   
  
Lina"  
  
The boy looked, at the girl next to him. She had brown hair, and bright green eyes. Not really a beauty, she was still sort of attractive. _s__pe meant escape. Kids everywhere used the fill-in-the-blanks, as a way to confuse Creatures. Night still didn't want Drones to see the note. Sometimes they where smart enough to figure the code out. Or so he heard. Night didn't want to take any chances. He looked at the note one last time. He was in the Sleeping Room Eight, so if Lina was right, he needed to use the yard. It was smart of Lina to give him directions. He was new to this Dorm, so he would need them. No he just needed a map. But that was no trouble. He could find one at lunch. Night folded the note, and stuffed it in his pocket.   
  
***  
  
Lina tiptoed through an empty gym, and into the silent, dark hallway. Then she leaned against the wall, and started going forward counting the doors. When she reached the seventh one, she opened the door, careful not to make any noise, and stepped into a moonlit room, closing the door behind her.  
  
There seemed to be no one in the room at first. Then suddenly someone grabbed Lina from behind, muffling her scream with their arm.  
  
-Don't scream. It's me. Night.  
  
The arm let go of Lina, and Night appeared from behind her. She jumped away from him.  
  
-What did you do that for???  
  
- I was hiding. Didn't want creatures to find me. And I figured you would be scared and scream, if I suddenly came out.  
  
Lina was mad, but the matter she cam here for was much more important.   
  
-Well,-asked Night, - First, can you tell me what is your ability? You are right about mine. I do have metal nails.  
  
Lina took a second, trying to figure out the best way to explain.  
  
-I..I.. I can read minds. Or hear them.. I can hear what creatures think.  
  
-They think? Never would of guessed. Can you hear what people think too?  
  
-It's much harder. Human mind is way too complex. But, I came here to talk about only one thing- escape. We could pair up together. I can find out how to disactivate your tracer by listening to what drones are thinking. Then you could use your nails too....cut my tracer out. Then the getting away wouldn't be that hard.  
  
Night looked at her with his dark eyes.   
  
-Agreed.   
  
Then he started toward the door. Lina stopped him.  
  
-Wait!- she whispered.   
  
-Why are you wearing black robe?   
  
Night's face became angry. Then he answered thought his teeth.  
  
-Black Banner. He promised to give a couple of kids to Emerald Crown . He selected seven. Six of us were about to turn fourteen, so they went strait to Meat Factory. I have another year to wait, so I went here. They still didn't give me an emerald robe.   
  
He turned away. Lina paused for a second, unsure if she should say anything.  
  
-I know this might seem rude, but..... isn't our Dorm better? I mean, yours is sooo much bigger. I heard a Drone thinking about it one time.   
  
-But I had a little brother there!!!!- Night almost screamed.  
  
-Stelo!!! He is only nine! How could they have done it! He has no one to take care of him now.   
  
Night turned away and left. Lina didn't try to stop him. 


	3. Mind and Blood

Chapter Three.   
  
Mind and Blood.   
  
The next day, Night found a following note under his keyboard in Math.   
  
"Night,  
  
make sure no 1 will c this. eat it, if u have too. (better that the goo anyway).  
  
do u c that myrmidon over there? try 2 get cloze 2 it. it will start thinking about u, i hope. then i can listen to it. GO, u shithd. "  
  
Even thought the note wasn't singed, Night had no doubt who wrote it. Lina wasn't sitting next to him today, she moved, and was sitting two sits away from the silent Myrmidon. There was an empty seat by her. He stood up and took it. Unlike the rest of the class, he wasn't afraid of a Myrmidon.   
  
Lina was afraid to look at the great creature, sitting by her. She knew Night had just took a seat there, and was some barrier, but the girl was very scared. She simply opened her Third Ear and closed her eyes, trying to hear only Myrmidon's mind.  
  
Night watched her without interest for a while, until she grabbed a paper and a pencil, and without opening her eyes, started to draw. When she stopped, she opened her green eyes and looked at the paper. The drawing looked like a map. As she looked closer, she realized it was a map of the second floor of their Dorm. And there was a X on the place where Night's tracers could be disactivated.  
  
"Jackpot" thought the girl.  
  
The next step of the escape plan was to collect food. Both Lina and Night spent a few days trying to steal as many pieces of bread as they could. Lina didn't know about Night, but she was using her spare pillowcase to store them. The girl had to hope that no Trackers would visit her Sleeping Rooms. They would sniff bread out for sure.  
  
As the escape day drew nearer, Lina became more nervous. She didn't speak a lot to Night, just so she wouldn't look suspicious. The only way she communicated with him, was by passing notes. Her spelling got worse by the day (if that was possible), so Night knew she might be really worried.  
  
***  
  
Lina crept thought the gym once again. It was dark and silent, just like the rest of the Dorm. Myrmidons had gone to sleep, and there weren't any Trackers or Screamers around for a couple of days now. Lina checked, before she left. She carried her pillowcase filled with bread and one white robe she managed to steal. She would prefer any other cloths better that this, since the white robe was used on Sad Birthdays. Lina didn't want to think about them. But she was getting out!!!! She just needed to sneak up stairs, turn of Night's tracers, then go down to the math room and get her tracer cut out. That was simple! Or was it......? Lina remembered how much blood had Ella left behind her. Blood all over the sheets, all over the pillows, all over the empty bed beneath her, blood all over the floor. Red liquid. Bright red. And in the middle of it, on the pillow, Ella had left two metal objects. One of them was what kept her here- a tracer. Other- what gave her the freedom. A sharp, metal razor. It probably used to be silver, before it was used by a brave little girl, who had the guts to slice her own wrist open........  
  
No, Lina said to herself! I must stop thinking about all of this! Other wise I will never get out!   
  
She stopped by the window, so the moonlight will be shining on her map.   
  
She was making good time, and was almost by the stairs. Then the switch wouldn't be hard to find. For some weird reason, Night's switch was located in the different place than anybody else's. Lina wished she could find out how to disactivate hers, but it was too late now.   
  
She passed the stairs quickly, stopping at the top only to take a look at the map. According to it, she just needed to go through the doors, and the switch would be at her right. As the girl stepped through the doors, the fear run through her. There was nothing at her right except for the fire extinguisher in a box. But as she came to examine it more closely, the girl noticed a little button. She pressed it, and a little computer screen came forward from the wall.   
  
Please enter the access code:  
  
Lina hoped that the Myrmidon knew the right code. And that the switch didn't have an alarm.   
  
0186472-THI318-O1J1I1J-123456Z  
  
Code is correct. You now have access to the controls of the tracer Z15, class special.  
  
What would you like to do?  
  
For tracers stats, press 1  
  
For information on the animal, press 2  
  
To disactivate tracer, press 3  
  
To get information on relocating this switch, due to animal's arrival at the Central Processing Plant, or if given to another Overlord, press 4  
  
Lina read the panel, wondering why did the Overlords called kids animals, and what on earth was Central Processing Plant. Then she pressed 3.  
  
Please enter the access code:   
  
As Lina looked at her paper she wrote the codes on, she hoped the code was correct.  
  
IOOO23-U56U56-PO8O2L  
  
The code is correct. Now, please enter the disactivation code:  
  
Another code, Lina thought. She was tired now.   
  
AI56PI4JHYY37SIIH3UJF9327  
  
Code is correct. The switch Z15 would be disactivaded in 5...4...3...2..1...  
  
Disactivation complete.  
  
Press 1 to activate it again  
  
Press 2 to shut down this system  
  
Lina wearily pressed 2 and the panel disappeared. Then she looked around, making sure no creatures where woken up, and hurried down stairs.   
  
***  
  
As Lina entered the math room, cold shiver ran up her spine. She remembered the blood on Ella's pillow....  
  
-How did it go?  
  
Lina jumped up, but managed not to scream. Night stepped out of the shadows, holding a weird looking bag full of bread, and a bottle of something. The girl took a deep breath to calm down, then came up to Night, and pressed hard on his right hand. She stepped away and the heavy metal gloves fell on the floor. Night shut his eyes, and clutched his fists. Then he relaxed.  
  
-What?- asked Lina.  
  
-The tracer. It gave me a little electric shock when it came off.   
  
He lifted his arm and looked at the redness, marking where the tracers have been located. As a stream of moonlight fell on his arms, Lina noticed his nail where no longer normal. They were silver now. Suddenly, in one swift movement, they expended out about fifteen centimeters in length. Night looked at them, admiring their sharpness and beauty, and then made a quick slash on his left arm. The blood started pouring from the wounds, dripping on the floor and on Night's black robes.  
  
-Good,- he said.  
  
-Sharp, swift....will be perfect!  
  
Lina looked at his nails, and imagined them cutting through her flesh..  
  
-No, no, nooo.........no.....-Lina started pushing Night away from her.  
  
-No, no, no, NOOOOO!!!!!!!!  
  
The boy grabbed her arm, as she started kicking. Lina was out of her mind- she was screaming "NO,NO,NO!!!". Night started to fear that something might hear her. He ripped off part of his sleeve and stuffed it in Lina's mouth.  
  
Lina felt the soft velvet in her mouth, and then Night's arm grabbing her right arm. Sweat run down her face. She kicked him, then kicked him again, but he held on firmly. She saw him dip his nails in the bottle he brought, and then....  
  
As she tried to kick again, sharp , terrible pain cut through her wrist. She screamed, but the sound was muffled by the velvet in her mouth. Sweat run down her body...but was it sweat? It was blood! Blood ran down her robes, her arms and legs. She felt very weak. She would die, she knew it. From the pain, from the weakness.  
  
Suddenly the pain shot through her again. Night reached inside her wrist with two nails, and pulled out a metal capsule. Blood sprayed all over Night and Lina. Bright red blood. Lina's hair was all over her face, covered in sweat and blood. The room was blurry, Night was blurry, but red. Bloodstained. He reached over to her and pulled out the piece of cloth. A sharp pain shot through her again, and she screamed. The sound echoed through the hall ways, gym, yard, feeding room. Lina didn't hear it. She could only hear loud buzzing in her ears. The pain probably, she thought. She could hear pain.  
  
She didn't hear her scream, but something else did. The sound of unhuman feet filled the corridor. Night jumped up, pulling Lina up too.  
  
-Move!!!!- he yelled.  
  
-Move!!!! They heard your screams!!!!   
  
Lina didn't hear him. Night pulled her along, trying to get out of the room.  
  
-No,-moaned Lina  
  
-We are going to our death.... Let's stay here...........  
  
She doesn't know what she is talking about, Night realized. She is in shock from pain. He would just have to pull her along for a while.   
  
As he reached the door, a Drone blocked the way. Without thinking, Night extended his nails, and hit the Drone with his free hand in one swift movement. All The five cuts filled with blue liquid for a second, and then Drone fell on the ground dead. Night didn't stay to watch the rest. This Drone was probably close by when Lina scream, and was alone- there was no one else in the hall. But he could hear more Drones and Trackers close by, getting closer by second.  
  
Lina suddenly came out of her trance, half-opened her eyes and said, the words hardly coming out of her blood-stained mouth:  
  
-There are no Screamers yet.......they will be here in ten minutes.....only they could wake the Myrmidons .........I heard a Tracker think............ohhhhhhhhhhhh...........  
  
A sharp pain shot through Lina again, and she struggled to keep her eyes open. Then she gave up and shut her eyes again.  
  
Night tried to push her along the corridor, holding both bags of breads in his other hand. Trackers were behind him, only a corridor away. But if Lina was right , it will be a while before Myrmidons showed up. He knew he could manage Trackers and Drones. He already killed one.  
  
-Noooooooooooooooooo..................let's stay.....i......am.....going to die......  
  
Lina was in terrible pain. The whole thing was a mistake! They would die out there ! Night seemed to read her mind.  
  
-Move! If we don't hurry up, they won't wait another eight months! They would take us to the Meat Factory strait away! To much trouble installing two new tracers! Damn you, move!  
  
The only words that Lina heard were "damn" and "Meat Factory". The last one was enough to scare her, so she started moving her feet. That made it easier for Night to pull her, because, scared as she was, she couldn't fully move. She didn't even understand where she was. Night felt they would never get to the yard that way. He looked around panicked. Then he saw it. A window. The boy ran to it, opened it and looked out. Good. There was sand under it. He lifted Lina up, getting even more blood over him, and dropped her out of the window. With a scream, Lina fell into the sand, leaving a red trail on the white wall of the building.   
  
Night stepped on the window frame, trying to aim so he wouldn't land on Lina. The boy looked behind him the last time, and saw three Trackers and a bunch of Drones filling in the corridor. No Screamers yet. Night shut his eyes and jumped.  
  
He landed only a few feet away from Lina. The girl's hand was moving , so she wasn't unconscious . Night jumped to his feet, when he felt pain in his left arm. One of the nails broke of, and his finger was bleeding. But that was nothing. He needed to get Lina up somehow.  
  
-Get up! We are almost there! I planned this route for ages now! Get up until the Screamers come!  
  
Lina didn't really realize what was happening when Night picked her up and carried her in his arms. She was very light, since she hardly ever ate anything at lunch but her bread. Night felt that they were making good time, and that he would have strength to carry her at least through the yard, when a terrible scream broke over the Dorm. Unhuman scream, waking up everyone who was still asleep.  
  
Including the Myrmidons. They would be angry now, having to walk so late in the night. If they catch him and Lina, they might be so angry they would kill the kids before the could be brought into the Meat Factory.   
  
Lina opened her eyes as she heard the scream. It took her a second to realize what it was. Then she tried toto tell Night to put her on the ground, so she can walk herself, but the pain in the wrist was unbearable. She passed out.   
  
Night reached the end of the yard and the blessed darkness when the Myrmidons were already out of their tents and boomed something to each other. The boy knew where to go now. There would be a building close by. A white building, just like the Dorm. He saw it earlier. He would go there. He and Lina will be safe for the night. 


End file.
